Orange Cranberry Chocolate Chip Cookies

12.13.2012

What’s my favorite part of the holidays? The food, family, friends and the holiday parties of course! And would there be any holiday parties without the food? The more I become acquainted with food, the more I come to realize how much it has to offer. Not only does it give us the constant nourishment we need to live our daily lives but it brings us together. It builds friendships. It also opens a world of opportunity to experiment with exciting flavors and try new recipes. That’s one thing I love about food, it never has to be boring and there are limitless combinations of what can be created.

Another great thing about food is its array of seasonal flavors. I like how there is a rotation of fresh seasonal produce to keep things exciting. Winter can seem to lack quite as much abundance of fresh fruit, but the one fruit I’m glad I can always count on during the Christmas season is the plethora of perfectly ripe, deliciously sweet Navel orangesthe kind that don’t lead me to pulling a sour face immediately after sinking my teeth into the first bite. When you really get a good orange, it’s so juicy and sweet it could nearly pass as candy.
Oranges are definitely my favorite citrus fruit and their flavor complements a chocolate chip cookie like no other. The citrus-y zip hugs the semi-sweet chocolate chips. These cookies are like those chocolate oranges you buy around the holidays, but in thick and chewy cookie form! Then when you add cranberries into the equation, you’ll feel like this cookie is the season’s best friend. If you ask me, cranberry, orange and chocolate were meant to be together.
This cookie is perfect to bake and give as a gift, because how many people do you know that don’t like chocolate chip cookies? And how fun would it be to give a chocolate chip cookie that had such a flavorful and exciting twist? I know I’d be happy to get a plateful. Enjoy!

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, whip together butter, light-brown sugar, granulated sugar and orange zest on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy about 4 minutes. Mix in egg and egg yolk. Stir in orange extract and vanilla extract. With mixer set on low speed, slowly add in dry ingredients and mix just until combine. Mix in chocolate chips and cranberries (if you want them to look like those pictured, I set aside some of the chocolate chips and cranberries to gently press into the top of the cookie dough balls before baking).

Scoop dough out 2 Tbsp at a time and gently roll into balls, then place onto Silpat lined cookie sheets spacing them 2-inches apart. Bake in preheated oven about 10 - 11 minutes. Allow to cool on cookie sheet two minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool. Store in an airtight container.

*Orange extract can be found near the vanilla extract in most grocery stores or supermarkets.

For more recipes in the 12 Days of Cookies series, follow along on Twitter with the hashtag #BlogHerCookies.This post is part of the BlogHer 12 Days of Cookies editorial series. Our advertisers do not produce or review editorial content. This post is made possible by Bank of America and BlogHer.

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19 comments

Loretta E.: I really love orange and cranberry together! And these cookies are loaded. Love it. December 13, 2012 at 10:37amReply

Kristy {Sweet Treats and More}: Okay we are on the same page when it comes to holiday cookies!! I just posted some red velvet cookies with mint chips and some orange chocolate chip cookies last week too! Love the flavor combinations of both!!

Amanda: I seriously just had a craving for a cranberry-orange-chocolate cookie this morning. How did you know?? :) Can’t wait to try these! December 13, 2012 at 11:43amReply

Averie @ Averie Cooks: This is like part Cooks Illustrated cookie recipe, part cornstarch cookie dough base, part cranberry bliss bar base, all rolled up into a gorgeous and soft cookie. I LOVE this recipe, Jaclyyn! December 13, 2012 at 1:34pmReply

sally @ sallys baking addiction: I’m so glad you joined the BlogHer 12 days of cookies too Jaclyn! I simply ADORE orange and cranberry together – I haven’t made a cookie combining them…ever! And what a beautiful base recipe too – loving the cornstarch. I used cornstarch in my cookie recipe today too! Twins :) December 13, 2012 at 4:22pmReply

angela @ anotherbiteplease: for a cookie – they look so fresh!!!! beautiful pictures…I want to grab one (or two) from the screen and eat! December 14, 2012 at 3:52pmReply

Jaclyn: Thanks so much Marla! I love love your blog, and your pictures are always gorgeous! December 17, 2012 at 9:23pmReply

Karen: I just made these and they are delicious….thank you so much for the great recipe! By the way I just dropped these just like you do regular chocolate chip cookies onto the cookie sheet instead of rolling and they turned out fantastic:) December 24, 2012 at 12:56pmReply

Tali: I made these and they are AMAZING! Simply packed with chocolatey cranberry goodness! September 11, 2014 at 11:54amReply

Jaz: What will happen if I take out the cornstarch December 19, 2014 at 10:12pmReply

Jaclyn: They won’t be quite as chewy, but should still be okay. December 20, 2014 at 11:43amReply

Lorr: Can I use fresh cranberries instead, and if so, would I use the same amount or need to change the recipe in any other way? Thanks so much, and a HAPPY NEW YEAR! Can’t wait to see what you have in store for us in 2015! January 4, 2015 at 10:50amReply

Jaclyn: I haven’t tried adding fresh cranberries to cookies so I’m not sure how it would turn out, I think the liquid in them might throw off the texture of the cookie. I hope you like what I share this year :)! January 29, 2015 at 9:34pmReply

Lorr: Went ahead and made these per recipe and they were fantastic!!! All the orange flavor puts them way above all other cran/chip recipes out there. After doing a grocery run for the orange extract, I realized that perhaps I could have subbed Grand Marnier (next time). However, this recipe has made me a believer in adding corn starch and the extra egg yolk to the batter for the most perfect cookie texture. Thank you! January 31, 2015 at 6:32pmReply

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